But it's not a life without risks the former Walton-le-Dale student has revealed.

The former operating theatre at St Joseph's Hospital PIC: exploringwithfighters

"St Joseph's is by far the most dangerous place I have been in.

"I went into the building and found a tank that had fallen from the attic through three floors and landed in the basement - it is a really unstable building.

"The lift shaft was also completely open.

"I have got my wits about me when I go into these places - I've not had any injuries while doing this so far, but it's always a risk.

"But so many people walk past these buildings and have no idea what is inside.

"I get a mixed reaction from my audience. There are some people who say that I'm trespassing, but most find it really interesting.

Dan Dixon from Preston has been exploring with for 15 years

"I have a lot of older people on my channel who want to see how places have changed and what they are like now.

"There's an element of me that wants to save these places - they're so beautiful and ornate.

"I think some people would rather they fell down but I think that would be a shame.

"Filming and photographing these structures and sharing them with the world is one way of protecting them."

Urban explorers who explore without the express permission of the landowners are guilty of trespass which is a civil and not criminal offence.

The life of St Joseph's Orphanage

St Joseph’s Orphanage was opened in 1872 on the site of an ancient alms house, and St Joseph’s Hospital for the Sick Poor followed five years later.

They were built by wealthy widow Maria Holland, who gave £10,000 at a time when Preston had one of the worst mortality rates in the country, due to poor housing and low-paid mill workers.

St Joseph’s Orphanage cared for 971 children before it closed in 1954. Run by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy, the orphanage was the first welfare provider for Roman Catholic girls in Preston, taking in up to 60 youngsters at a time in two dormitories.

After its closure, the top floor of the orphanage continued to serve as accommodation for the nuns who worked in St Joseph’s Hospital, known locally as Mount Street Hospital.

The hospital held collections to help pay for health care for poor patients.

During the First and Second World Wars, they tended injured soldiers and, over the years, tens of thousands of babies were born at the hospital’s maternity unit.

Legendary performer George Formby died at the hospital following a heart attack on March 6, 1961.

The hospital closed when the last sisters left nursing in 1982. It became a private care home in 1988, which eventually closed down in 2003.

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